Ashton J. Mouton
Encyclopedia
Ashton Joseph Mouton, Sr. (October 16, 1916 - January 31, 1988), was a United States businessman
and politician
who became, at thirty-one, the youngest mayor
in the history of Lafayette, Louisiana
. A Democrat
, Mouton was elected mayor in 1948. He served two four-year terms and left office in 1956. In 1963, Mouton was an unsuccessful contender for lieutenant governor
on an intraparty ticket with the winning gubernatorial candidate, John Julian McKeithen
of tiny Columbia
, the seat of Caldwell Parish, in northeastern Louisiana.
. He married the former Stella Rose Dupuis, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. J.W. Dupuis, Sr., of Youngsville
in Lafayette Parish. They had five children: Stella Rose; Ashton J. Mouton, Jr. (born 1947); twins Catherine Anne and Carolyn Anne (born 1953); and John Mouton. The twins were remarkable in that they were the first pygopagus conjoined twins
to be successfully separated. There is also a namesake grandson, Ashton J. Mouton, III, of Lafayette (born 1983).
From 1939-1941, Mouton was the administrative assistant in the Lafayette municipal finance office. He served in the United States Army
during World War II
from 1941-1945. After the war, Mouton started a career in life insurance
.
Mouton succeeded Claude C. Colomb (July 19, 1889 - December 1973) as mayor. He was recognized widely for his mayoral success, even being honored on March 10, 1955, by the Louisiana Municipal Association and its trade publication, the Louisiana Municipal Review, as one of the outstanding mayors in Louisiana at the time. Over the next several decades, Lafayette became the fourth largest city in the state. At the time of Mouton's service, Lafayette, as did many other Louisiana communities, had a commission
form of city government
. He was succeeded as mayor by Jerome E. Domengeaux (March 3, 1919 - May 27, 1999).
After his mayoral years, Mouton became an independent oil
and natural gas
lease broker. He held various state-level appointments too, including the Mineral Board (1950–1952), Board of Tax Appeals (1956–1958), commissioner of conservation (1958–1960, collector of revenues, (1964–1970), director of hospitals (1970–1971), and administrative assistant to the director of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement in 1972. The three former appointments were in the administration of Governor Earl Kemp Long, and the three later positions were under his mentor John McKeithen. Mouton was affiliated with the powerful Long
faction
of Louisiana politics.
In 1965, Mouton sued the Schwegmann Brothers Giant Super Markets, Inc., to collect for the state sales, use and occupational license taxes plus interest in the amount of $62,517.98. Schwegmann appealed the assessments to the Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals. Ten years later, the tax board ruled in Mouton's favor, some five years after he had left the collector's position. The former super market was owned in part by then state Representative
John G. Schwegmann
of Jefferson Parish. Thereafter, Mouton sued to collect another $103,290.59. Schwegmann answered and denied liability. The two cases were consolidated in the trial court by consent of the parties. In the trial, Mouton was upheld in both cases. In 1971, Schwegmann unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for governor on a platform to cut government spending.
Mouton began selling real estate
in 1976 and was associated with an agency in Lafayette from 1978 until his death ten years later.
In his lieutenant governor's race, Mouton failed to make the Democratic runoff primary, which was won by the incumbent
Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock
of Franklin
, the seat of St. Mary Parish
. Aycock defeated future state Senator Claude B. Duval
of Houma
in Terrebonne Parish
. Also running on the McKeithen-Mouton ticket for the new position of insurance commissioner
was future U.S. Representative and then State Senator
Speedy O. Long
(1928–2006) of Jena
, the seat of La Salle Parish. Long was defeated by Dudley A. Guglielmo
, an Italian-American politician.
Mouton was a member of the American Legion
, the Knights of Columbus
(a Catholic
men's organization), and Mardi Gras Krewe of Gabriel.
Mouton is interred in the Lafayette Memorial Park Cemetery.
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who became, at thirty-one, the youngest mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
in the history of Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Mouton was elected mayor in 1948. He served two four-year terms and left office in 1956. In 1963, Mouton was an unsuccessful contender for lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
on an intraparty ticket with the winning gubernatorial candidate, John Julian McKeithen
John McKeithen
John Julian McKeithen was the 49th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1964 to 1972. A Democrat from the town of Columbia, he was the first governor of his state in the twentieth century to serve two consecutive terms...
of tiny Columbia
Columbia, Louisiana
Columbia is a town in and the parish seat of Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 477 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Columbia is located at ....
, the seat of Caldwell Parish, in northeastern Louisiana.
Biography
Mouton was born in Lafayette (also Lafayette Parish) to Edwin Mouton, Sr., and the former Georgie McBride. He was educated at Mount Carmel Elementary School and Cathedral High School in Lafayette. In 1939, he obtained a degree in business administration from Southwestern Louisiana Institute, now the University of Louisiana at LafayetteUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
. He married the former Stella Rose Dupuis, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. J.W. Dupuis, Sr., of Youngsville
Youngsville, Louisiana
Youngsville is a city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,289 as of the 2005 Census Bureau estimates. It is part of the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Youngsville is located at ....
in Lafayette Parish. They had five children: Stella Rose; Ashton J. Mouton, Jr. (born 1947); twins Catherine Anne and Carolyn Anne (born 1953); and John Mouton. The twins were remarkable in that they were the first pygopagus conjoined twins
Conjoined twins
Conjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 100,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa. Approximately half are stillborn, and a smaller fraction of...
to be successfully separated. There is also a namesake grandson, Ashton J. Mouton, III, of Lafayette (born 1983).
From 1939-1941, Mouton was the administrative assistant in the Lafayette municipal finance office. He served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
from 1941-1945. After the war, Mouton started a career in life insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...
.
Mouton succeeded Claude C. Colomb (July 19, 1889 - December 1973) as mayor. He was recognized widely for his mayoral success, even being honored on March 10, 1955, by the Louisiana Municipal Association and its trade publication, the Louisiana Municipal Review, as one of the outstanding mayors in Louisiana at the time. Over the next several decades, Lafayette became the fourth largest city in the state. At the time of Mouton's service, Lafayette, as did many other Louisiana communities, had a commission
City commission government
City commission government is a form of municipal government which once was common in the United States, but many cities which were formerly governed by commission have since switched to the council-manager form of government...
form of city government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
. He was succeeded as mayor by Jerome E. Domengeaux (March 3, 1919 - May 27, 1999).
After his mayoral years, Mouton became an independent oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
lease broker. He held various state-level appointments too, including the Mineral Board (1950–1952), Board of Tax Appeals (1956–1958), commissioner of conservation (1958–1960, collector of revenues, (1964–1970), director of hospitals (1970–1971), and administrative assistant to the director of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement in 1972. The three former appointments were in the administration of Governor Earl Kemp Long, and the three later positions were under his mentor John McKeithen. Mouton was affiliated with the powerful Long
Earl Long
Earl Kemp Long was an American politician and the 45th Governor of Louisiana for three non-consecutive terms. Long termed himself the "last of the red hot poppas" of politics, referring to his stump-speaking skills...
faction
Political faction
A political faction is a grouping of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. A faction or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, “parties within a party," which may be referred to as power blocs, or voting blocs. The individuals...
of Louisiana politics.
In 1965, Mouton sued the Schwegmann Brothers Giant Super Markets, Inc., to collect for the state sales, use and occupational license taxes plus interest in the amount of $62,517.98. Schwegmann appealed the assessments to the Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals. Ten years later, the tax board ruled in Mouton's favor, some five years after he had left the collector's position. The former super market was owned in part by then state Representative
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
John G. Schwegmann
John G. Schwegmann
John Gerald Schwegmann, Jr., was a pioneer in the development of the modern supermarket. He owned eighteen stores in the Greater New Orleans area, based from Metairie, a large unincorporated city in Jefferson Parish...
of Jefferson Parish. Thereafter, Mouton sued to collect another $103,290.59. Schwegmann answered and denied liability. The two cases were consolidated in the trial court by consent of the parties. In the trial, Mouton was upheld in both cases. In 1971, Schwegmann unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for governor on a platform to cut government spending.
Mouton began selling real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
in 1976 and was associated with an agency in Lafayette from 1978 until his death ten years later.
In his lieutenant governor's race, Mouton failed to make the Democratic runoff primary, which was won by the incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock
Clarence C. Aycock
Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock , a conservative Democrat from Franklin in St. Mary Parish, was the only three-term lieutenant governor in modern Louisiana history. He served from 1960 to 1972. Aycock failed in his only bid for governor in the 1971 Democratic primary...
of Franklin
Franklin, Louisiana
Franklin is a city in and the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, the seat of St. Mary Parish
St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
St. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.-Geography:...
. Aycock defeated future state Senator Claude B. Duval
Claude B. Duval
Claude Berwick Duval, I , was a Houma, Louisiana, attorney and a conservative Democratic state senator from Terrebonne and St. Mary parishes, having served from 1968 to 1980...
of Houma
Houma, Louisiana
Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...
in Terrebonne Parish
Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
Terrebonne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Houma. Its population was 111,860...
. Also running on the McKeithen-Mouton ticket for the new position of insurance commissioner
Insurance commissioner
Insurance commissioner is an executive office in many U.S. states, some in the state cabinet. The office differs state by state:...
was future U.S. Representative and then State Senator
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
Speedy O. Long
Speedy O. Long
Speedy Oteria Long was a Jena lawyer who was a Democratic U.S. Representative from central Louisiana between 1965 and 1973. Prior to his tenure in the since disbanded Eighth Congressional District, Speedy Long had been a member of the Louisiana state Senate...
(1928–2006) of Jena
Jena, Louisiana
Jena is a town in and the parish seat of La Salle Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,971 at the 2000 census.In September 2006, Jena became the focus of national news stories in the United States for a racial controversy involving its school system and a group of students known...
, the seat of La Salle Parish. Long was defeated by Dudley A. Guglielmo
Dudley A. Guglielmo
Dudley Anthony Guglielmo, Sr. , was the Louisiana insurance commissioner from 1964 to 1972. He served two terms until he was denied renomination in the 1971 Democratic primary by Sherman A. Bernard, a house mover from Westwego in Jefferson Parish...
, an Italian-American politician.
Mouton was a member of the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
, the Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
(a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
men's organization), and Mardi Gras Krewe of Gabriel.
Mouton is interred in the Lafayette Memorial Park Cemetery.